Restaurant Style Salsa
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No more store-bought salsa! This quick and easy flavor-packed restaurant-quality salsa comes together in just 10 min!

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reasons to make restaurant-style salsa
- Better than store-bought. Say goodbye to store-bought jarred salsa! With a few pantry staples, garlic, cilantro and fresh lime juice, homemade salsa never tasted so fresh and so good.
- Comes together lightning fast. With 10 minutes (from start to finish) and the help of a food processor or blender, you can sit back, relax and let the blender do all the heavy lifting for you. You’ll have restaurant quality salsa on your dinner table before you know it with minimal hands-on time. Perfect for tortilla chips, burrito bowls, tacos, enchiladas, scrambled eggs and so much more.
- Great make-ahead recipe. This salsa tastes better as it sits overnight, letting the flavors meld even further, making it the perfect opportunity to prep this ahead of time and storing it in the refrigerator the night before.
- Flexible recipe. The beauty of making salsa at home is that you have full control over the consistency and heat. Pulse in the food processor as long as needed – some like it chunky while others want it velvety smooth. Some like it super spicy (with extra jalapeno peppers), some like it tame and mild (sans jalapenos). There’s no wrong way to have salsa here!

Ingredients
Roma tomatoes
Look for firm, smooth-skinned tomatoes. Avoid ones with blemishes and dark spots. If Roma tomatoes are not available, opt for plum tomatoes like San Marzano.
Onions
White onion is traditionally used but yellow, sweet or red onion will work just fine in this recipe.
Jalapeno pepper
Omit completely for mild flavors, remove the rib and/or seeds for tamed-down spiciness, or add an additional jalapeno pepper for even more heat.
Canned tomatoes
Yes, we’re using 2 types of tomatoes here – fresh and canned! Canned tomatoes are a pantry staple – convenient and cost-effective – yielding that favorited salsa-smooth consistency and texture with more concentrated tomato flavors.
Garlic
1 clove of garlic is used here (no need to dice, chop, mince – it’ll get added right in the blender) but this can be increased as needed for all you garlic-lovers out there!
Cilantro
A key ingredient for homemade salsa! The stems can also be used, adding more intense cilantro flavors with a subtle crunch. Be sure to trim any discolored stems and leaves prior to using.
Lime juice
Lime juice will help brighten and balance out the flavors. Freshly squeezed is always ideal!
Cumin
A little bit of ground cumin goes a long way, adding an earthy, warm, nutty flavor to the salsa.
Sugar
An optional ingredient, the sugar will help balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
Salt and pepper
Season to taste and serve with all the tortilla chips.

how to make the easiest restaurant style salsa
- Char the tomatoes, onions and jalapeno in a cast iron skillet
- Add the charred vegetables and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend, baby, blend (or pulse, pulse, pulse)
- Season with salt and pepper
- Serve with tortilla chips (or store in the fridge)

tips and tricks for success
- Add some char. For smoky, charred flavors, cook the tomatoes, onions and jalapeno pepper until charred prior to blending.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice. While bottled lime juice can work in a pinch, freshly squeezed is ideal here for its vibrant, stronger flavors.
- Add some sugar. The sugar will help balance out the acidity of the tomatoes, creating more rounded out flavors. Prefer a sweeter salsa? Add more sugar to taste!
- Make it chunky, make it smooth. Pulse or blend as long as needed until the desired consistency is reached.
- Let it chill. The longer it sits, the better the salsa!
- Mix it up. Add an additional jalapeno pepper for extra heat, omit the jalapeno as needed, stir in some black beans and corn, or add a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce for some extra smoky goodness.

what to serve with restaurant style salsa
Restaurant Style Salsa: Frequently Asked Questions
The salsa is not too spicy but for mild flavors, be sure to omit the jalapeno or remove the ribs and seeds of the jalapeno pepper prior to using.
The Roma tomatoes, onions and jalapeno pepper are cooked in a hot cast iron skillet for just a few minutes for those favorited smoky, charred flavors. From there, everything else gets added to a blender or food processor.
A countertop blender (such as a Vitamix or Blendtec) should do the trick!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Restaurant Style Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes, halved
- 2 small white onions, cut into wedges
- 1 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded
- 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
- 1 clove garlic
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon sugar, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add tomatoes, onions and jalapeno until charred on all sides, about 5 minutes.
- Combine charred tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, canned whole tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, cumin and sugar (if using) in the bowl of a food processor until desired consistency is reached, about 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Did you make this recipe?
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LOVE your new blog design, Chung-Ah! She’s beeeautiful! So refreshing and better showcases your fresh recipes and inviting photography. Also, love this speedy 5-minute recipe for salsa as we eat it at our house on almost a daily basis. Thank you for sharing!
A good blender is totally worth an investment- much like a mixer! I have both a Vitamix and a Ninja for different reasons! Love this salsa, I have yet to try and make my own, but I totally need to!
I am a salsa fiend, but I don’t know I always thought it was so complicated to make–this looks delicious and so easy!
CUTE new blog design!! And I love this salsa. I use my Blendtec ALL the time for quick and easy salsa!
Salsa is a daily snack for me. This looks so good!
What an awesome blender! I’d love to have one of these…or one from the slightly more expensive counterpart. Oh well, I shall make my salsa in the food processor for now.
I would love to taste fresh salsa made in a Blentec. Sadly only an old low-end blender sitting on my counter. We’ll see how that goes.
So jealous of that blender! I want one and a batch of this salsa! For now I will settle with the salsa since I can totally make it in my food processor! YUM!
You should definitely invest in the Blendtec. You would love it, Tieghan!